Chapter 5 - The Ticking Clock
I crushed the radio in my hand, my vision completely tinting with pure, unadulterated rage. I was not going to sit blindly in my ruined mansion while my new family was stolen from me. I rallied my surviving men, ordering them to lock down the estate and treat the wounded guards immediately. I walked out onto the burning lawn and found a severely wounded Rossi soldier crawling desperately away from the wreckage. I dragged the man up by his tactical vest and slammed him aggressively against the side of a burning truck. I pressed the burning hot barrel of my pistol directly under his chin, demanding to know where Antonio was going. The soldier trembled violently, terrified by the absolutely murderous look in my dark eyes. He choked out that Antonio was heading to the abandoned shipping yards on the eastern edge of the city. I dropped the bleeding man and sprinted toward my reinforced, bulletproof SUV hidden in the rear garage. I loaded the vehicle with enough heavy weaponry to take down an entire small army by myself. I refused to bring my men with me, knowing that a massive convoy would force Antonio to execute Clara instantly. I tore out of the estate, pushing the heavy engine to its absolute limit as I sped through the dark city streets. My burner phone suddenly buzzed violently on the passenger seat, illuminating the dark cabin. I answered the video call, keeping my eyes locked firmly on the winding road ahead. Harland's bruised and bloody face appeared on the screen, smiling with a sickening, triumphant glee. He flipped the camera around to show Clara and Nora tied to heavy metal chairs in the center of a dark warehouse. Clara looked incredibly weak, her head slumped forward as the lethal poison continued to ravage her failing body. Nora was crying silently, her tiny red hands struggling desperately against the thick, unforgiving zip ties. Harland flipped the camera back to himself, holding up a digital timer that was counting down rapidly. He told me that I had exactly one hour to surrender my entire territory to the Rossi family, or Clara would not get the antidote.
